Making Peace
by viclililee
Summary: human mafia AU, Elise (Liechtenstein) Lovino (S. Italy) try to make a truce between their warring families
1. Chapter 1

[Human Names: Elise-Liechtenstein Roderich-Austria Gilbert-Prussia Ludwig-Germany Edwin-Kugelmugel Folkhert-Germania Romulus-Rome Francis-France Antonio-Spain Feliciano- N. Italy Lovino-S. Italy]

A young girl cried out from her father's arms over the sound of booming gunshots, and twin boys replied with cries of their own as they clutched to their brother's legs. None of the children knew what was happening and why they were being pulled away from half their family, but their guardians did. They knew this would be their last kiss as their lips gingerly pressed together, they knew that as soon as this final embrace ended they would be forced into the life of bitter enemies. As their lips parted they whispered their farewell words of love with tears streaming down their faces before running off in opposite directions. The children understood that they would likely never see one another again and reached to close the gap between them, but to no avail as their fleeing guardians held them tightly.

Elise shot up in bed, her eyes damp and breathing heavy. She reminded herself it was all a dream, it had been eleven years since the chaos in Vienna and she was safe now in Berlin. Safe being a relative term, you're never truly safe living in a mafia family. Yawning, she resolved herself to get ready now that she was up and left the warm safety of her bed. Her bare feet enjoyed the soft touch of the lush carpet of her room as she walked to her closet. From her large selection of clothes she chose a simple white skirt and a blue shirt of soft cotton. She changed quickly and left her room.

Even at the early hour of six the Beilschmidt family's Berlin estate was always bustling, as would be expected of a mafia family's main house. Many blond men Elise had never spoken to were constantly walking the halls with guns, documents, or mysterious items. She had learned to ignore them and live life as a normal teenage girl.

The first thing she wanted to do this morning was ask her father about her dream. Usually when she asked him about these things he would brush her off and tell her it was just a dream, but she had to try at the very least. Filled with hope she skipped down the two flights of stairs to the main floor and over to her father's office. She knocked on the solid wooden door and waited, but got no response. Gingerly, she pushed the door open and found the office empty. Remembering how early she had awoken she realized her father would still be asleep.

Being alone in the room she realized now would be a good time to snoop for information on those people in her dream. She realized it was wrong to look through other's belongings but the temptation could not be denied. Quietly, she went to her father's imposing black desk and began searching the drawers, the only thing to be found there were documents on banking and affairs between families and a few candies that must have been older than Elise. Next she checked the file cabinet and found similar results. At last she turned her attention to the small linen closet. At first she thought the closet merely contained an endless collection of coats but after a little digging she found a dusty cardboard box labelled 'memories'. She blew some dust off of the box and almost opened it before she heard the creak of wheels and the steps of a servant. She hid the box and flew from the closet as her father's wheelchair was pushed into his office by a stout servant.

Elise plastered on a smile "Hi daddy!" she chimed "I was just looking for you!"

Elise's father, Roderich, was a middle aged man with graying brown hair and nearly blind but gorgeously purple eyes. He was confined to a wheelchair after being shot in a fight with the Vargas family, The Beilschmidt family's former ally but now bitter enemy. Little crows' feet appeared at the corners of his eyes when he grinned upon seeing Elise.

"Hello my darling, for me you were looking? How sweet of you, let me just get situated" He said, directing the servant to push him behind his desk.

Elise took a chair in front of her father's desk and waited eagerly for him to get settled. She watched his wrinkled hands push papers to and fro on his desk, a determined look in his eyes, the same determination as when he used to play piano, but none of the joy. After a few minutes of awkward silence he looked up at her and grinned again.

"What was it you needed dear?" he asked.

She stayed silent for a moment, searching for a way to word her request, but as the quiet grew and her frustration with words increased she sputtered out, "Tell me about the people from my dream."

Rocerich appeared to have been taken by surprise, he sat up straighter and cleared his throat before answering her with the same default response "It's just a dream, my dear, don't read too deeply into it."

Elise didn't want to accept that same old answer again and pressed on "please, daddy, I know you loved him, they were from the Vargas family weren't they? Was that before Grandpa Folkhert killed Mr. Romulus? Who were the two bo-"

"It is just a dream, Elise" he cut her off and waved her away.

Elise bowed her head and apologized before scurrying out of the room. Now at a loss for what to do she made her way to the kitchen for breakfast.

An old cook with gray hair covered by a hairnet gave her a plate of eggs and bacon. Elise thanked her and took the plate to the dining room. Her still bare feet did not like the cold wooden floors of the kitchen and dining room.

As she ate an obnoxiously loud voice came from behind her, "Basch? Oh wait, it's just you Ellie, without your bow I thought you were old Basch" Gilbert laughed at his own joke as he sat across from Elise at the dining table.

Elise reached for her bow and realized she had forgotten to put it on today. She laughed along with her uncle, mostly to please him and not because she actually found the joke funny. She turned back to her eggs and tried to ignore Gilbert's rambling. Then a thought struck her. She could ask Gilbert about the people from her dream.

She tried to approach it indirectly, "Uncle Gilbert, do you know anyone from the Vargas family?" she asked.

He chuckled "I used to have two good friends from the Vargas family, Antonio and Francis, though I think Francis found a new family with his boyfriend Kirkland. But Antonio was a good guy, used to be married to your pops, you must remember him." Gilbert began rambling and for once Elise was grateful that her uncle had a motormouth, "I think Antonio's the current boss, real happy go lucky kinda guy, nice ass too. He takes care of his two little brothers now that old Romulus is gone. Cute kids, Feliciano and Lovino, I think. Of course they're Vargas filth though, hate the whole lot of them, and shoot them on sight, that's the order."

Elise thanked her uncle and processed all this new information as she finished her eggs. Elise returned the plate to the boisterous kitchen and, seeing as she still had several hours to kill before lunch, she went to visit her young brother Edwin.

Edwin's door was covered by a painting of the Swiss Alps that Edwin had done himself. Edwin loved art and hated the mafia, he found fighting to be unartistic and therefore resented the violent ways of his family. Elise knocked on the beautifully painted door and called out "Little brother, may I come in?"

She could hear the seven year old high voice cheer from inside the room and a servant opened the door. Edwin was confined to his bed as he was gravely ill and likely dying, but he was still a happy seven year old and he loved his big sister.

"Sister sister!" he proclaimed, "will you braid my hair?"

Edwin had their father's eyes but his hair more closely resembled that of their Uncle Gilbert, pure white, but kept long and braided. Elise giggled and agreed to braid his hair. Together they played until lunch was called and Elise had to join the family in the dining room. She kissed her small brother's forehead before leaving.

Lunch looked delicious; it was a ham and cheese sandwich with rich moist ham, perfect fresh cheese, and crisp bread. But before Elise was permitted to eat it or even say grace she had to wait with everyone for Uncle Ludwig to give his address that he gave before every family meal.

Ludwig cleared his throat before announcing "The war with the Vargas family still goes strong, but we may soon gain a new ally in this battle. I am discussing an alliance with the boss of the Oxenstierna family. We are still mending relations with the Adnan family, but it is looking good. Our strength may soon triple! And now grace."

The entire family bowed their heads and said grace. After the amen they dug into the expertly prepared sandwiches.

As Elise munched on the scrumptious sandwich she had a thought. As everyone was at lunch, she could look in the box she found earlier. She immediately set down her sandwich and requested to be excused. Once she was permitted to go she made her way from the dining room to her father's office.

[hope you like it, I love reviews and such]


	2. Chapter 2

All the guards that usually stood throughout the house were off on lunch break so it was easy for Elise to slip unnoticed into her father's office. She stealthily made her way to the back closet, slipped in and grabbed the dusty old box. She was aware of every noise she made as she closed the closet door and tiptoed up to her room. As soon as she got to her room she locked the door and knocked the lid off the box of memories.

The first thing in the box was a photo album. It was full of pictures of Elise as a baby and Roderich before the grays and the wheelchair. She smiled as she flipped through the old photographs. Her smile wavered for a moment and then grew when she found the first picture of the people from her dreams. It was her at age three and a little boy about six, with a grumpy look on his face. They were having a tea party together.

As she flipped through the book she found dozens of pictures of those people. She found pictures of the little boy's twin brother in a dress, their older brother, Antonio, holding hands with Elise's father. She wondered which of the twins was Lovino and which was Feliciano. When she had seen all the pictures she set that book aside and looked back into the box. There were a few knickknacks from her childhood, but what immediately caught her eye was an envelope labelled 'mi amor' which she quickly grabbed from the box.

She opened the envelope and found a farewell letter from Antonio to her father. It was beautifully written and filled with words of love. But most importantly was how it ended with a phone number

'Though we must become enemies I will always love you and if you need me call me xx xx xx xx xx'

Elise grabbed a pen and copied down the number in her diary. She checked the time and decided she could still get the box back in her father's study without being noticed. She delicately replaced the letter in its envelope and placed it and the photo album back in the box. Once again, she slipped unnoticed into her father's study and returned the box.

That evening Elise locked the door to her room once again and called the number she had copied from the letter. She bounced on her heels as the phone rang and soon someone picked up.

"Ciao- cazzo, spagnola. Hola," a young Italian sounding voice answered.

Elise was puzzled and concerned, this couldn't possibly be the voice of the middle aged Spaniard she was looking for, and she hadn't thought about the fact that he wouldn't speak German.

She tried English "Hello, is this Antonio? I am Elise, Roderich's daughter."

"Well Toni's busy… wait, Elise? Roderich? Beilschmidts?" he said the name Beilschmidt as if the word hurt to say, but quickly switched to a peppier tone "Elise, this is Lovino, we played together when we were little, do you remember me?"

Elise realized this was the grumpy little boy from her childhood, and she grinned widely. "Of course I remember you, it's been so long!" She paused, remembering the way that he had said her surname with disgust just a moment ago. "...I suppose you hate me now?"

Lovino sighed "I don't hate you, I hate your Uncle Ludwig and your Grandpa Folkhert, not you, you're just an innocent girl. I just want this war to end."

Elise cheered up instantly. "Then let's end the war, if we talk it out we can arrange something!"

Lovino's voice sounded happier as well when he replied "Si that sounds wonderful. Call me back tomorrow, I'll give you my number. Don't call this line ever again, it's the bosses phone and that's dangerous."

Elise copied down the number in her diary as Lovino gave it, and crossed out the old one. "Danke Lovino, I'm sure it will be a pleasure to work with you."

Lovino laughed "you too, chica, ciao" and hung up the phone.

Elise went to bed that night brimming with hope for a brighter future.

Elise spent the next day dillydallying around the house. She watched cartoons, sat through one of Gilbert's stories about exploding heads, and drew with Edwin. At lunch she actually listened to Uncle Ludwig's announcement, now that she had this plan.

"Talks with the Oxenstierna's are going well, and an alliance is most certainly in our near future. We have lost very few men in the war against the Vargas' in the past few months and things are looking up. Now for grace."

As the family said grace Elise silently rejoiced, it was a perfect time to discuss a truce as the fighting was less rampant. She finished her lunch quickly and went up to her room to call Lovino.

She pulled her diary from her desk drawer and called the number Lovino had given her the night before. As the phone rang she thought through what she would say.

Lovino quickly picked up the phone and Elise was caught off guard by his friendly "ciao?"

"Lovino, hello, let us truce discuss," she babbled confusedly.

From the other end of the line, Elise heard Lovino chuckling. "Si, that sounds great," he said through the laughter. "What do you have in mind?"

Elise started explaining her plan. "I can go to Switzerland. Being German, French, and Italian, it's neutral territory. We can write up a plan and I will present it to my uncle Ludwig and you will give it to your brother Antonio."

Lovino thought for a moment, eventually he spoke again. "I can get to Switzerland. I'll just give Antonio some bullshit excuse... but it's a big place, where do you want to meet?"

"Can you get to Zurich?" Elise asked nervously.

"Si, I'll be there in a week."

"Danke! Bye!"

"Ciao."

They each hung up and Elise hid the diary back in her desk, unlocked the door of her room, and ran to her father's study. Elise adjusted the bow in her hair and smoothed down her dress before slowly opening the door. Her father sat at his desk reviewing some documents.

In her sweetest voice, Elise got his attention "Daddy, can I go to big brother's Basch's house?"

Roderich looked up in surprise. "Go visit Basch?" he asked, "that is rather far, and last time I sent you there alone, you came back with your hair gone."

Elise laughed at his attempt at a joke "I promise I won't do anything to my hair this time, I just miss him."

Roderich tutted, but he eventually said "Fine, I will arrange for the plane to take you to him. And stop calling him 'brother', he is your cousin" he turned back to his papers and waved her away.

Elise left the room swiftly and closed the door, she almost jumped in excitement from her success. Quickly, she skipped up to her room and began packing her bags.

The next day Roderich arranged for the family's plane to take Elise to Zurich. And after another day she was there.

[reviews and critique are loved]


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as Elise left the plane at Zurich airport her eyes were instantly drawn to Basch. He looked off into the distance, waiting impatiently. She had a feeling he wasn't carrying his gun on him, being this was an airport, and all and that was probably making him anxious. She quickly moved to greet him, throwing her arms around his neck, the weight of her knocking him back a step. Elise buried her face in the crook of Basch's neck inhaling the familiar scent of guns and chocolate, as he lifted her up into his arms as much as he could with his small height advantage. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him and that's all she could think of as he gentley returned her to the ground, her shoes clicking against the hard tile floor.

Taking her small hand in his own, he gave her a rare small smile, before directing his servant to take Elise's luggage. Together, they walked outside of the airport and were greeted by a driver who looked to be in his late fifties. He held the door of a Mercedes open for the two. Even though Elise detested violence, being the treasured daughter of a mafia family did come with its perks. Basch spent the entire drive home on the phone with one of his men as she watched the city pass out of the darkly tinted windows.

Once they arrived at the estate, assistants rushed towards Basch, shoving countless documents towards him, each trying to speak. Elise tried to grab his attention, but to no avail seeing that he was already leafing through one of the documents. She thought back to the five years she had spent living with him, starting at the age of seven and ending with twelve. He was always a busy man, that hadn't changed, and neither had the estate. She slowly walked in finding everything to be exactly the same as she remembered.

The rooms were spotless. The large chandelier hung beautifully from the ceiling, reflecting every ray of light, making a beautiful rainbow across the walls. Elise's footsteps echoed as she walked into the comfortably familiar hall. She slipped out of her shoes in order to step barefooted on the soft, rich carpet that covered the stairs. Making it to the top she felt a childish excitement, she ran to her bedroom, shoes in hand. This too, was exactly as she remembered.

The walls were a light pink with white stripes. Pressed against the back wall was a white twin bed, its sheets a pastel pink. The bed was covered by messily piled stuffed animals. A small table sat next to bed, a lamp and ceramic vase made by her rested upon it. Fresh flowers rested in her little vase. She didn't see a speck of dust. The room had been cleaned for her return.

Elise smiled slightly, flopping carelessly onto the bed, finding it to be much smaller and less plush than she had remembered. She shifted uncomfortably to get situated on the oddly unfamiliar bed. Her phone vibrated and she quickly pulled it out. A text from Lovino lit up the screen.

To: You

Elise, I convinced Antonio! I'll be in Zurich by tomorrow. Where are you in the plan?"

From: Lovino

Elise jumped from the bed, excited by the successful advancement of their plan. She quickly typed a response.

To: Lovino

I'm in Zurich, meet you at café Odéon tomorrow?

From:You

She waved at a servant arriving in her room to deliver her luggage to its new home. As she slid over to search through the bags her phone vibrate, once more a text from Lovino.

To:You

Si, See you there at ten.

From:Lovino

She cheered internally; she would finally get to see Lovino again after eleven years. She could remember the childhood memories faintly. The sound of her father playing the piano drifted throughout the house, the delicious smell of Spanish cooking mixed with the music. Her cousin Otto had occupied Feliciano, and Lovino sat, concentrating on trying to draw. Wanting to play princess, she would make him be her prince. She didn't notice the blank airheaded smile on her face until Basch walked in.

"Hello, spacey girl." He said with a hint of a smile in his voice.

Elise snapped out of the fond memories and turned to acknowledge him. "Hello brother." She said with a friendly grin.

He rumpled her hair, this time a very present smile on his face. "You know you can call me Basch, I'm only your cousin." He chuckled.

Her smile widened as she gave him a big hug. "But Basch, you took care of me for five years, you're like a big brother to me."

As he returned the hug he mumbled, "Whatever you say," He paused before adding, "little sister."

They remained hugging for nearly a minute before Basch broke it and kissed Elise's head, before leaving her alone. After a long day of plane rides and excitement, Elise finally went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Elise awoke with the sun the next morning, stretching the kinks out of her back from sleeping in the small rough bed, she was excited to begin the day. She took a quick shower before slipping into the soft flowing yellow fabric of the dress she had selected for this day. Running a quick brush through her hair she thought about what meeting Lovino again after all these years would be like. As she put her bow in her short golden locks, she wondered what he would look like as a young adult. She spent the day eagerly awaiting her meeting with Lovino and as nine came around she ran to Basch's office and gently knocked on the door.

Elise heard him groan before he said, "Yes, come in." but as soon as Elise entered she could see his face brighten. The grimace he wore, thinking she was a worker, was replaced with a blissful smile.

She waved shyly as she entered, shutting the door behind her. "Good morning, big brother, may I go to the café?" she asked

Basch looked down at his paperwork with a guilty expression then returned his gaze to Elise. "I don't have time to escort you, do you think you will be okay on your own?" he asked nervously.

She nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face. "I will be fine, brother," she reassured him, "I am sixteen years old, I do not need constant supervision"

Basch appeared relieved; he smiled and nodded, saying "have fun at the café," before turning back to his papers.

Elise left the room, gently closing the door on her way out, and searched for the nearest servant. She soon found a middle aged woman in the work uniform that appeared to not be busy. She politely asked to be driven to café Odéon and the woman complied. On the way, in the car, Elise tried to make small talk, but as the woman did not reply she soon gave up. When they arrived Elise thanked the woman and requested to be picked up in two hours. She waved to the woman as she drove off and then turned her attention to the building before her.

Looking through the large window she instantly spotted Lovino in the crowded café. He was easy to find as he had a large curl on the side of his head. Across from Lovino sat a boy that looked like a mirror image of him, he must be Feliciano. Elise wondered why Lovino brought his brother, but shrugged it off and entered the cozy café. Upon her entrance Lovino said something to his brother and rushed over to her.

Lovino threw an arm around Elise's shoulders. He smelled like grapes and tomatoes, a strange combination, but nice. He pulled her close and muttered "You're French and your name is Lilianne, understand?"

Elise was taken aback by this sudden outburst and whispered back "What do you mean I'm French?"

Under his breath Lovino explained "If my brother knew I'm talking to a German he'd be suspicious, just play along."

Elise understood this and nodded as they arrived at the table the brothers had saved. A chair was waiting for her and she took her spot. She got into the part of an innocent French woman. "Bonjour," she giggled, "or ciao, for you cute Italians."

Elise feared she may have overplayed it as Lovino introduced her. "Fratello, this is Lilianne, she's an old friend from Geneva."

Feliciano, a bright smile on his face, nodded and carefully took Elise's hand, planting a light kiss on her knuckles. Looking up at her from his lowered position Feliciano introduced himself with a sweet smile.

"Ciao bella," he said, Elise blushing at being called bella, "I am Feliciano, it is a pleasure to meet you. " Feliciano was a cheerful person, his smile so wide his eyes nearly looked closed, Elise wondered how this could be the same boy that once terrorized the boss of the Adnan family. Elise shrugged off her wonder and sat down, Lovino sitting as well.

Feliciano began to make small talk, asking "so Lilianne, how is Geneva?"

Elise panicked slightly, having never been to Geneva. She paused for a moment trying to think of a smart response. As the silence at the table grew she eventually just babbled out "very nice, very French, everyone there is French-Swiss, just like me-"

Elise was grateful to be interrupted by Lovino widely swiping his arm across the table, knocking Feliciano's tea into his lap. The brothers gasped at once and Lovino began wildly apologizing.

"I am so sorry, I don't know what happened," he said pulling out countless napkins, "perhaps you should go back to the hotel and change out of these tea stained clothes."

Feliciano nodded at his suggestion and got up from the table. "I will be back very soon, you two have fun" he said as he turned away to leave.

Lovino sent a wink Elise's way as his brother walked off. Elise couldn't help but slightly giggle at the whole fiasco.

"Now that my brother is gone, we can talk about what we're here to talk about." he said with a slight smile.

Elise bounced slightly, eagerly she asked "can we catch up first? I haven't seen you in eleven years, what is going on in your life?"

Lovino shrugged. "Not much actually, I graduated high school, I've been passed up for position of boss in favor of Feliciano." He seemed a bit hurt so Elise quickly tried to change the subject.

"How's your brother, Antonio, I mean. I remember him being so cheerful, however could he be the boss?" She asked with a kind smile.

Lovino laughed "Antonio can be much crueler than anyone would think." For a second he had a look of discomfort, but it passed nearly instantly. "But let's talk about you," he suggested, "what is happening in your life?"

"Well I have been living in Berlin for a while now," Elise answered, "I'm still a junior in high school."

The two of them talked for some time before Elise finally asked the question that had been sitting in the back of her mind the entire time. Quietly, nervous he would refuse answering as everyone else had; she asked "Can you tell me about our childhood?"

He smiled at her. "Si, sure" he said before beginning his story, taking Elise back to the estate in Vienna from her memories.

[The next chapter is gonna be all story, reviews and critique are awesome]


	5. Chapter 5

Lovino spent much of his early childhood alone. Everyone was more interested in Feliciano than in him. Roderich and Antonio were happily married and fawned over Feliciano. When Elise was adopted Lovino saw her as merely another distraction from him. But as Elise grew, beginning to walk and talk, she would come to Lovino to play. Feliciano was always busy with Otto, but Lovino was always alone for Elise to play with. She would make him play dress up, make believe, and tea party and no matter how much Lovino pretended to hate playing with her, secretly he loved it.

It was a peaceful time, the house was happy, filled with the peaceful sounds of children's laughter and elegant piano, the air was thick with the delicious smells of exotic spices and meat. It was an exceptionally wholesome estate for a mafia.

Folkhert and Romulus, the family bosses, rarely came to Vienna. In Elise's fifth year they finally visited. Romulus spent almost the entire visit playing with Feliciano and Folkhert was drawn instantly to young Otto upon his arrival. On the last day of their visit there was to be a meeting to discuss relations between the families. This meeting was merely a formality as the families were practically one. Many even suspected the bosses had more than just a friendly relationship.

The House was at rest during the meeting, there was neither piano nor guitar, the children played with hushed voices, and all was calm. That is until a gunshot rang out and a scream pierced the silence. Everyone, assuming it was an attack on the house, rushed to protect the children. A few of the soldiers cautiously approached the meeting room door. The men nudged the door open to see Folkhert standing over the dead body of his comrade, bloody and broken on the ground.

This was the beginning of a gruesome war.

The Vargas soldiers began shooting at Folkhert and the Beilschmidt soldiers returned the attack. Folkhert was clipped on the shoulder by a bullet but escaped before any real damage could be done. He ran from the estate, taking Otto along with him. The soldiers on the property began firing wildly at one another. Antonio and Roderich took the children and ran for their lives. The children began to sob. The lovers kissed one final time and muttered farewells before running off in opposite directions to live life as enemies.

Antonio took Feliciano and Lovino to the Vargas estate in Spain and Roderich and Elise were rushed to Berlin. A grand funeral was held for Romulus in Rome, not a single Beilschmidt was invited. Folkhert died six months later of a mysterious illness. Otto died several days later, most likely of the same disease. The Vargas' saw these deaths as a victory. Nobody ever found out why Folkhert killed Romulus, and nobody ever would.

[an exceptionally short chapter this time as it is only a story within a story, reviews and critiques are very love 3 ]


	6. Chapter 6

As Lovino ends his story, Elise comes back to reality. She looks down at the ground and mumbles, "I can't believe I forgot all that."

"You were little, it's understandable." Lovino told her, shrugging.

"I am sorry my grandfather killed your father." She said, looking down in shame.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's not your fault, and you shouldn't have to suffer for what he did, nobody should," he said, "that's why we're ending this war."

Elise nodded and said, "thank you."

There was a short period of silence before Lovino asked, "How do you think we can end this war anyways?"

Elise fiddled with her ribbon, before saying, "We just have to show them that war is not the answer to the sins of one man."

Lovino gave her shoulder a squeeze, smiling. "Let's write up a peace treaty, si?"

The two spent nearly an hour writing and making compromises before Lovino got up, looking at the watch around his wrist. Elise looked up at Lovino, slightly surprised by his sudden action.

Lovino muttered something under his breath and started picking up the papers they had spread across their table, saying "I have to go; I have to meet with Emma. Meet me back here tomorrow?"

Elise nodded and helped him organize their papers. "I'll take these home with me," she offered.

Lovino thanked her and kissed her forehead before dashing out of the café. Elise shyly skimmed her fingers against where his lips touched and blushed. She put the papers in her bag and sipped her coffee, watching the window for the driver to come to deliver her home. When he arrived she grabbed up her bag and skipped out to the car.

It was a different, friendlier, driver this time who responded to her small talk. They discussed the weather and the driver asked Elise about affairs in Berlin. Elise told her she honestly knew nothing about family business. Eventually came the topic of what Elise was doing at the café. Elise panicked internally; she had no idea what she could say she was doing there.

She blurted out the first lie she could think of, saying, a little too loud, "I was on a date!" Realizing what she had just said she continued on with "please don't tell my brother."

The driver chuckled before agreeing not to tell Basch. The driver told Elise to just come to her whenever she needed to go on her secret dates as they arrived back at the estate. Elise bowed her head and thanked the driver before skipping from the garage and up to her room.

As soon as Elise arrived in her room she slipped the papers from her bag under her mattress where, hopefully, nobody would find them. She ran to Basch's office and entered unannounced to see him yelling at some people in suits. When he saw Elise enter his face visibly softened from the harsh angry expression to a kind welcoming face ushering Elise in. Elise, not wanting to intrude more than she already had just quietly said "er, I'm home now, hello brother, I'll be in my room," before scurrying away. As she walked away she heard the shouting resume.

When Elise returned to her room she began to make the necessary call home to her father. The phone rang for a few minutes before her father's familiar voice came over the line.

"Hello," he said, sounding annoyed to have received a call at the present time.

Elise cheered back "Hi daddy."

There was a short pause before Roderich asked "Who is this?"

"How many people call you Daddy?" Elise asked, confused.

Elise could nearly hear him thinking before he piped up "Oh, Elise! It is wonderful to hear from you, how's Switzerland?"

"Switzerland is good; it's been nice to see Basch again. How's Germany?" she asked, barely caring.

Her father sounded so cheerful to talk to her when he said "Oh it's wonderful; your old uncle Ludwig is as strict as ever, Gilbert broke a lamp yesterday, and Edwin's condition has been improving steadily."

Elise rejoiced to here of her young brother getting healthier. "Oh, daddy, that's great," she cheered.

Roderich coughed rather awkwardly before saying, "well I have to be getting back to work, I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," Elise agreed, hanging up the phone. She picked the phone back up immediately and dialed the number of her uncle Ludwig. She rolled around her small bed as she waited for him to answer.

After about a minute Ludwig picked up the phone with a harsh, "Hello, state your business."

Elise was concerned by his angry tone and politely said, "I am sorry Uncle Ludwig, was this a bad time?"

Ludwig audibly gasped upon realizing he had just yelled at his niece. He immediately changed to a kinder tone when he said, "Good afternoon Elise, it's lovely to hear from you. How are you?"

Elise smiled when she heard him sweeten up. "I am good Uncle Ludwig; I was just calling to ask about family affairs, I didn't get to hear your lunch time speech since I'm in Zurich," she said in her sweetest tone, trying to win his favor.

Ludwig was elated to hear that Elise was actually interested in business and began rambling on about everything the family was doing. "Well, the war with the Vargas' is going well; there hasn't been a loss in three months." Elise silently rejoiced at this news. "And discussions of alliances are going smoothly. The Oxenstierna's seem very eager to partner with us and we may be able to form an alliance stronger than any other before. The Adnan's may partner with us but we are still in the early stages of arrangements." Elise ignored most of this information as she didn't particularly care.

After his long speech on family business Elise piped up asking, "Would it be possible for the war with the Vargas' to ever end."

Ludwig laughed over the line, "Of course it will end, we will win any day now, don't you worry, little one. Now I'm sorry but I must get back to work."

Elise said, "Goodbye" and hung up the phone. She spent the rest of the day thinking up arrangements she and Lovino could make to end the war, land deals and trades, that would ensure a truce.

[as always reviews are wonderful and amazing]


	7. Chapter 7

When Elise awoke the next morning, she was eager to get started on the day. She rolled out of bed around eight and had two hours to get ready before her second meeting with Lovino. After putting on a blue dress, shorter than her usual preference in dresses, some short boots, and loosely tying her dark blue ribbon in her hair. She put the papers sitting underneath her mattress in her bag and then she went to the garage to find yesterday's driver. The driver was waiting there, unoccupied and Elise shyly tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me ma'am," Elise said shyly, "I was wondering if you could drive me to another, er, date?"

The woman laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "Sure thing sweetie," she said smiling down at her.

Elise and the driver made small talk as they drove to the café, and when they arrived Elise politely asked to be picked up in two hours. The woman agreed, saying "have fun," with a wink. Elise wondered what she meant by that wink but pushed it to the back of her mind as she entered the café.

Lovino was waiting for her, alone this time. She joined him at the table pulled the papers from her bag. He smiled at her and said, "You look lovely today, Elise."

Elise blushed. "Thank you."

They made small talk and ordered coffee. They laughed as they sat together, eager to start a new future of peace. The thought of no more pointless deaths brought them bliss and they were happy in each other's company.

They then spent nearly the whole two hours working and had almost lost track of time when the driver arrived. Elise rushed to put the papers back in her bag and gave Lovino a quick hug before rushing out to the car. As Elise buckled her seat belt the driver looked at her in the rearview mirror and, cocking an eyebrow, asked, "So did you two, you know?"

Elise didn't know and quietly asked, "Did we what?"

The driver laughed, "You know, the do, the frickle frackle, sex?"

Elise was offended at the mere possibility of this and said, "Why of course not. I would never!"

The driver laughed. "At least tell me you two used protection?"

Flabbergasted, Elise babbled, "We did not! I mean we didn't have sex not that we didn't use protection, which we didn't because we didn't have sex but you know. I mean if we did have sex obviously we would use protection, but we didn't."

"Sure, whatever you say," the driver said as she started the car and started driving back to the estate.

When they arrived, Elise thanked the driver made a quick stop in her room to drop off her papers before running to her brother's office. As she opened the door she saw her brother talking to a tall, white haired man. It took her a moment to recognize this man as her Uncle Gilbert. Gilbert spun around and saw Elise.

"Ellie," Gilbert cheered, "how are you doing my favorite niece? Your pops told me to check on you while I was here. Are you having fun?"

Elise nodded, confused about his presence in Zurich. "I am good," she said quietly.

Gilbert gripped Elise's small shoulder and for once had a serious expression on his face. "I was just talking to Basch here about your little bro's condition, not lookin' too good, really," he said, almost looking sad.

Elise was shocked to hear this news. She had thought Edwin was doing well. "What does that mean, 'not looking too good,' I thought he was doing well?" she asked, distressed.

Gilbert looked down solemnly. "He's going to die, Elise, very soon. As he was next in line for boss, I came here to ask Basch to reconsider being boss."

Tears welled up in Elise's eyes. Her little brother was going to die, that little hope she clung to was gone. Basch rushed to her side and gave her a tight hug. Elise blinked the tears away and put on a brave face. She turned to Basch. "And what did you say to becoming boss?"

Basch shook his head, "I could never do it. I turned him down."

Gilbert took Elise's hand and bowed his head, just barely looking up at her. "I'm so sorry," he said.

Elise shook her head. "It's fine, I'm fine. I'm going to go." She turned and dashed from the room.

Gilbert followed after her. "Ellie, wait," he called. "Just let me spend some time with you, okay?"

Elise clutched his shirt and leaned against him. After a short period of silence, Gilbert heard quiet sobs coming from Elise. It really had bothered her. Learning she would lose her brother crushed her and she wet his shirt with her tears. Gilbert stood there as she cried, petting his niece's hair.

When Elise was done crying, Gilbert held her small hand in his and escorted her to her room. They sat together until Elise was ready to talk again. "Thank you, Uncle Gilbert," she mumbled, "I don't know what I'd do without you." She gave him a tight hug and he squeezed her tiny shoulders.

"I promise I'll always be here, Ellie." He said ruffling her hair. Gilbert left and went to sleep in the guest bedroom on the other side of the house.

As night fell, Elise called home and talked to Edwin. They laughed together and Edwin seemed happy. He was never told anything of his condition and it seemed ignorance really was bliss. Elise was overjoyed to hear him laugh and talk about his art. But every time he coughed Elise remembered and was concerned for her dear brother's health. As they ended the call Elise reminded him she loved him very much and Edwin laughed and said "I love you too, big sister, and I always will."

Elise cried again that night, but eventually she fell asleep. She dreamt of Edwin living happily in a world without war.

[as always a review or two would be amazing and loved]


	8. Chapter 8

Elise did not awake the next morning of her own accord, rather she was awoken by her uncle barging loudly into her room. "Rise and shine, little one," he shouted, "I made plans for us today, and it'll be the best day ever!" He tore the covers from her bed and Elise groggily rolled over and looked up at him. His eager smile faded at the sight of her agitated frown.

Slowly Elise got up and returned her blanket to her bed. "I'm sorry, Uncle, I have plans today," she said as she got up and returned the blanket to her bed. She looked at the grumpy expression on her uncle's face and sighed.

"I will play with you this afternoon, but I have to be somewhere in about three hours," she said looking at the rhinestone studded pink clock on her bedside table. Gilbert thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea and pepped up a little.

"Well you will play with the awesome Uncle Gilbert for three hours and then I'll drive you to wherever you have to go, yes?" he asked, proud of his problem solving skills.

Elise laughed and nodded. "Fine, now get out so I can change," she said, pushing him from the room.

Elise changed into a long pink sleeveless dress and put on some flats and as always her dark blue ribbon in her hair, and went to join Gilbert in the hall. Gilbert waited for her sitting on the railing and as soon as she walked out he shouted "you're dead!"

Elise looked at him incredulously and asked, "What?"

Proudly Gilbert announced, "The floor is lava and you are dead!"

Elise played along with him and skipped over the small hallway and climbed onto the railing next to him. Together they scooted to where the railing turned down a flight of stairs and they slid down the bannister, laughing giddily.

When they reached the first floor Gilbert jumped from the end of the stairs to a small table, nearly knocking over a lamp but saving it last minute. Elise found her own path, jumping onto a small rug that contained a couch with many pillows she could use as islands.

The two played like this for a while before a servant caught them and chastised their childish behavior. Having used up one hour, they spent the next two playing simple board games. Both were honestly grateful when the time came for Elise's meeting at the café. Elise grabbed her bag with the important papers inside from her room and got into Gilbert's car. The two joked during the ride there and when they arrived Elise strictly informed Gilbert, "Don't follow me in, wait out here," before skipping in the front door of the café.

Lovino was waiting as always, this time he had Elise's drink already ordered for her. Elise slid into the seat next to Lovino and took some of the papers from her bag. Together they began poring over the documents, but soon Lovino pushed them to the side.

"We've been working for a long time, Elise. I think we're almost done. We've organized territory agreements, damage payouts, and return of heirlooms. I really think we have made peace very pos-" Before Lovino could finish his last word he bolted up to stand. A booming gunshot rang out over discussions of peace.

People ran from the café, but Elise and Lovino looked straight towards the front door. There, gun in hand, lay Gilbert in a pool of blood. A bullet had pierced his chest, a bullet that came from the gun of Feliciano Vargas. Elise and Lovino both ran to their family. Elise cradled Gilbert's head in her lap and checked his throat for a pulse. There was nothing. He was dead.

Lovino grabbed his brother by the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to him. He pulled the gun from his hands and began shouting. "What the hell did you just do?" he demanded. "Feliciano you just killed somebody, do you realize that?"

Feliciano's eyes filled with tears upon realizing what he had done. "They killed papa, so I killed him," Feliciano muttered.

Lovino swung his fist at his brother, catching his jaw and causing his head to whip to the side. Feliciano clutched the point of impact and looked up at his brother with big wet eyes. "He didn't kill papa! You idiot, his father did. He does not deserve to die for something stupid his dad did," Lovino shouted, pushing Feliciano against the table. He took the gun and left his brother to help Elise with Gilbert.

Gilbert's face was wet with Elise's tears. Elise hugged his body close, sitting in the pool of her uncle's blood. Lovino sat next to Elise and wrapped an arm around her shoulders comforting through her sobs. Feliciano looked on in shock, his own brother, comforting a Beilschmidt.

"You're a traitor!" he shrieked in anger.

Lovino looked back with contempt. "And you're a murderer," he said with calm hatred.

The police soon arrived and took Feliciano away. Elise clutched to Lovino as they took Gilbert's body. She was too distraught to answer any of the officer's questions and Lovino told them to contact her brother.

Basch arrived at the scene in a panic; he brought a gun in case Elise was in danger and had a lot of trouble when the police insisted he not take it into the crime scene. He ran to Elise, ignoring the man she clung to and pulled her into an embrace. They hugged for what seemed like hours, Basch whispering words of comfort and petting her hair. Lovino stood and turned to go, but Basch stopped him.

He was about to ask for Lovino's identity before he recognized him. He let go of Elise and grabbed Lovino by the throat. "Did you kill Gilbert you Vargas trash?" he shouted. Lovino put his arms up in defense, but Elise stepped between the two of them.

"Brother, no," she cried, wiping tears from her face. "He was helping me, he didn't hurt anybody."

"What do you mean by that, why are you getting help from a Vargas?" he said more politely to Elise but anger still very present in his voice.

"We were trying to arrange a truce, we're both sick of this war causing things like this to happen," she said, gesturing to the scene around her.

Basch sighed and pulled a chair from the nearest table. He sat and looked at them with guilt in his eyes. "I'll help you."

Elise grabbed onto Lovino's arm and they both looked at Basch curiously. Elise was the first to speak, saying "What?"

"I'm half Vargas," Basch admitted. "My mother was from the Vargas family. I'm sick of fighting to the death against my own cousins. I want a truce."

Elise and Lovino rejoiced at this, they hugged him at once and thanked him repeatedly. Basch pushed them away, not wanting a hug. "But Elise is going back to Berlin. Zurich is too dangerous. I will meet with Mr. Vargas." They both agreed to this.

[any reviews would be amazing and fantastic as always]


	9. Chapter 9

As Elise stepped off the plane in Berlin she looked upon her family and saw not a single dry eye. Her return home would have been a joyous occasion were her fellow passenger not a corpse. It was the first time Elise had ever seen her uncle Ludwig look like he was to cry. But perhaps the most distressed was not even a Beilschmidt. Roderich's ex-wife, Elizaveta from the Adnan family, clung to Roderich and sobbed on his shoulder.

The next day was the funeral. The entire family was in attendance, even Edwin was escorted out to the grave site; he found all the black to be unartistic but kept quiet about it out of respect for the dead. It was a short service, a priest prayed over the body and it was lowered into the ground. Everyone cried as the eulogies were read. They spoke of his life and what a great loss his passing was. Even Elizaveta gave a speech, a short one about their childhood together and how she would miss him. Roderich told how no matter how troublesome Gilbert was he would still miss him. Ludwig could barely finish his speech; he was so utterly crushed by the loss of his elder brother.

After the service the family met in the front hall. They had drinks and tried to recover from the recent loss. Elizaveta disappeared at some point during the party, likely having headed to the airport to return to Hungary. Elise and Edwin did not partake in the drinking and went to bed long before the gathering ended. And once the clock struck midnight all the adults had gone to bed as well.

Early the next morning, long before the sun rose, servants ran through the house. Roderich and Ludwig were alerted immediately and taken to Edwin's room. Soon even Elise had been woken and was there. Edwin's condition had gotten worse; he lay in bed, looking pale and weak. Elise tried to run to his side but was blocked by a servant.

"Don't get too close," the man warned.

Elise, Ludwig, and Roderich waited in Edwin's room in their pajama's watching him suffer; fortunately, it wasn't long before the doctor arrived. Elise clung to her father as the doctor examined her young brother. The doctor took the adults and Elise out of the room and gave them the bad news.

"He's dying, I'm honestly surprised he's not dead yet. You should say your goodbyes." He said with a solemn expression.

Elise rushed into the room, pushed past the servants, and scooped Edwin up into her arms. Her eyes began to water but she put on a brave face so as not to scare the boy. Edwin loosely wrapped his weak arms around his elder sister. Elise muttered to her brother, "I love you so much, little brother. I can't lose you." She stroked his long white hair and began to quietly cry.

Quietly Edwin replied, "I will miss you, big sister." Edwin and Elise remained embracing for what seemed like a lifetime. Elise didn't even notice when Edwin slowly stopped breathing. When she realized he had passed, she sobbed and continued to clutch his body close. Roderich pulled her away from him and picked her up. He carried her to her room and gently laid her back in bed. Elise looked up at her father and saw tears streaming down his face. He kissed her forehead and left the room.

The next day was host to yet another funeral. Elise cried the most at his burial and when eulogies were read, hers was the longest. When she read her speech to his life the few in the audience that weren't already sobbing began to cry. She spoke of his art and his innocence, his love of her and everyone, and his dream of peace. Ludwig barely remained stoic through the proceedings. Roderich, for the first time Elise had ever seen, was truly a mess.

Elise did not attend the gathering in the front hall after the funeral, and instead decided to go straight to bed. On her way to her room she passed Edwin's room and walked in without noticing. She sat on his small bed and hugged his pillow. She began to cry once more. Without warning the cell phone in her pocket began ringing.

She answered it with a stuffy voice. "Hello?"

"Elise," the voice across the line, Lovino, said. "Are you okay?"

Elise shook her head without realizing he couldn't see her. "I lost my brother."

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, do you want to talk about it?"

Elise took his offer and began to tell Lovino all about her brother until even he felt sad at Edwin's loss. As midnight came around Roderich entered Edwin's room and found Elise sitting there. Elise said goodbye to Lovino and hung up before turning her attention to her father. He covered his mouth with his hand and began to cry again. Elise rushed to her father and wrapped her arms around him. Roderich returned the hug, squeezing his daughter especially close to him, his heart broken by his son's death. The two cried together for some time before Roderich let her go, wiped his eyes, and told Elise to go to bed. Elise left Edwin's room and returned to her own. She slept peacefully despite the sadness in her heart.

[I apologize for the short chapter, if you review I will love you a lot]


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